John Howard: Tamdan McCrory perfect opponent for "Fight of the Night" at UFC 101

http://mmajunkie.comWhen considering which “UFC 101: Declaration” bouts could potentially earn Saturday’s “Fight of the Night” bonus in Philadelphia, the options are undoubtedly plentiful.

But welterweight John Howard (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) not to concentrate your sole attention on the evening’s main card, as he predicts his prelim bout with Tamdan McCrory (11-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will also be in the running.

“I know [McCrory], and he’s going to be a hard fight,” Howard said. “It might be ‘Fight of the Night,’ to tell you the truth, because we know each other really well, and we go for broke.”

Howard and McCrory both made their way to the UFC through the regional shows of the Northeast, twice competing on the same card, and each fighter competed for the Combat Zone, World Fighting League and Cage Fury Fighting Championships organizations prior to reaching the UFC.

“This could be a really hard fight,” Howard said. “I respect him.

“Actually, we’ve been fighting on the same cards for years. We’ve known each other for years. We kind of came up the same route, and it’s funny that we’re finally fighting each other and it took the UFC for us to be fighting each other.”

Howard is coming off of a split-decision win at UFC 94, a razor-thin victory that earned “Doomsday” a “Fight of the Night” bonus along with his opponent, Chris Wilson. McCrory has had mixed results in his five UFC appearances but looked impressive in a March win over Ryan Madigan at UFC 96.

Howard said believes his opponent has a well-rounded arsenal, but he hopes to create a stand-up encounter.

“There’s not too many holes in his game,” Howard said. “He’s really well-rounded – good jiu-jitsu, good striking. He’s really good. The only thing is I like to stand and bang. Hopefully he’s going to bang with me. If that’s going to happen, that’s going to be a war beyond belief.

“He has maybe better kickboxing. I have better boxing. So I’m going to use my boxing to my advantage and see what happens.”

Howard has earned just two career victories by knockout or TKO, and McCrory’s long frame presents specific challenges when striking. But for Howard, McCrory offers the perfect chance to put on a show for the fans.

“We don’t hold back,” Howard said. “We leave it all in the ring.

“Styles make fights, and our styles match perfectly for this fight. We don’t stop moving. Tamdan’s not one to slow down, and I don’t either. I just keep going. I know it’s going to be a hell of a fight.”

For complete coverage of UFC 101, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: John Howard)

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon EST (9 a.m. PST) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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